Several different safety devices are available or have been proposed to prevent inadvertent firing of guns. Some devices require modification of the gun itself. These trigger protectors consist of a cover of the entire trigger guard which prevents access to the trigger. The protective covers are attached to at least one portion of the trigger guard by pins or screws, holes for which must be drilled in the gun. Another version consists of at least two components which clamp over the trigger and trigger guard or consist of a relatively loose-fitting or easily removed rubber boot. This design does not lend itself to the frame/trigger guard configurations of semi-automatic handguns and is actually more of an accidental discharge/dust protector.
Other safety devices are molded plugs formed to the shape of the trigger guard and trigger or bolt assemblies which fit behind the trigger, holding it in an unfired position. Some of these devices are readily removed when firing is necessary, but many are too easily removed by an uninitiated person, such as a child. Others require detaching or loosening a fastener, which may be effective in preventing a child from firing the gun, but also hinder a proper user, requiring that more than mere pressure be applied to the device to release it. Such devices clearly work only with guns which have space behind the trigger, meaning that the trigger is held in a fire-ready position.
Any device which holds the trigger in an unfired position puts the weapon in a state where failure of the device or application of sufficient finger pressure to overcome the resistance of the material used, especially with a "behind the trigger plug", could result in the weapon firing. A device which holds the trigger in a depressed state has essentially deactivated the trigger, i.e., the trigger must return to an unfired position before the firing cycle can occur. Therefore, if the safety device fails, the trigger merely returns to the unfired position.
A third type of safety device is a locking clamp which holds the trigger in a depressed position, thus preventing the chamber from being in a loaded condition. This in turn avoids the possibility of firing the gun by pulling back and releasing the hammer. The primary disadvantage of this device is that the user must unlock it with a key if firing should become necessary. A delay in having access to the gun while searching for the key or trying to insert the key in the lock could have serious consequences for the gun's user in a life-threatening situation. When such a risk is involved, the user may instead be tempted to leave the device off if he anticipates a sudden need for the gun.
All of the above-mentioned devices possess the additional disadvantage that they are obvious, making it readily apparent that the gun has been disabled. A child who finds a gun protected by one of the prior art safety devices might, out of curiosity, tamper with the device to see if he can remove it, since it is obviously not part of the gun. Also, a person who threatens harm to a gun's proper user would not be deterred when confronted with a weapon which is obviously disabled. The user would be required to remove the device at the same time he was drawing the gun, possibly causing a delay in correctly aiming the gun. Any device which is difficult, complex or time-consuming to operate is essentially non-protective and counterproductive in a life threatening situation.
It would be desirable to have a trigger safety device which is capable of quick, ambidextrous release which holds the trigger in a depressed, unfirable condition but which disguises the fact that the gun is disabled and makes it appear that the gun is ready to fire. It is to this end that the present invention is directed.